Owing to the rapid increase in the world's industrialization and
population, the demand for energy is increasing; some new energy
resources are needed to supplement the major conventional energy
consumption, such as petroleum, coal and natural gas [1,2]. Biomass
has been recognized as a renewable, inexpensive sustainable feedstock,
environmentally friendly and received considerable attention.
Biomass is composed of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. It can
be transformed into fuels and valuable chemicals within a single facility.
Furthermore, in the production of heat and power, the utilization
of biomass derivatives mitigates the release of greenhouse gas emissions
through cycles of regrowth and combustion [3,4].